adding soil to an already stablished tank

[dwayne.aycock]

Hi all, I have an established tank that has been up and running for the past year. Though the tank is doing fine, I think it is time for some soil improvement. My tank is a 135 gallon Discus / Amazon tank, heavily planted (Amazon Swords, Anubias, Crypts, Java fern, Jungle Vals, water onion, Wendenti Crypts etc). A sea of green. I want to add some color! The tank has 2 inches of Amazon soil, and aquasoil amazonia. I have ordered 24 pounds of floramax which I want to add to the current soil. Removing the Discus (21 of them) is out of the question as well as 30 or so Cardinal tetras, 8 Ottos, 3 corey cats and 1 pleco. I don't have anywhere to put them if I did. I have heard of freezing the floramax into cubes and pushing it under the current soil to thaw out. My caution with this method is the chilling of the water and the possible negative effect with such sensitive and expensive fish. I have also heard of getting a piece of PVC, 2 or more inches in diameter, 4 plus feet long and placing it vertically on the bottom of the tank (removing the substrate under it) and pouring the floramax down the PVC, allowing it to settle to the bottom, and covering it with the current substrate. There would be some cloudiness, but I intend to accomplish this over the course of several days. It would of course be allowed to gas off any ammonia as well as rinsed, and treated with ammonia neutralizer. Does anyone have any experience with adding soil to an already established tank? Which one of the two methods will work best?
D

 

[Niccobacci11]

Can't help with the method but did you accomplish this with success or are you still waiting for a foolproof way to do this?

 

[Rivercats]

Hey Dwayne honestly if it were me I'd just add some clay balls throughout the soil. The substrate isn't that old and has a high CEC, cation exchange capacity, which means the substrate can absorb nutrients from detris and the water and hold them for use by plants. Just adding some clay balls by pushing them in the substrate is not only clean but IMO gives the only boost you need. You can even make clay balls with fertilizers in them, I think Peabody's Paradise sells them. Trying to add something like fluorite is going to be a big mess.

 

[dwayne.aycock]

I solved the problem quite easily. I used laterite, loam and clay. I mixed at a ratio of 2 pounds of laterite, 4 pounds of loam and 8 pounds of clay. I mixed it in a home depot bucket to a rather loose consistency. After that I put the mixture in a simple garden sprayer and took off the nozzle tip. I pumped it a few times. I placed the nozzle under my current substrate and gave it a few squirts, especially under my plants. It took a little while but I managed to get the job done in about 2 hours. I had no mess and no fuss. My root feeders took off! My PH rose a little (6.5 to 7.0) but with a little Discus buffer, I had the PH back to 6.5 in about a week. My Anubias and Vals have even shown improvement. My Plant Nursery is not doing so good...my stem plants died and I lost one other, but the others are hanging in there. I know it will take a little time. My Ammonia has been really high, so I have had to reduce it a bit with a few water changes. I will send PIcs, but I am a bit embarassed right now. I know time will tell, so I am being patient.
D

 

[Rivercats]

You always are inventive! I wouldn't have thought to do that!

You will have to give the new tank some time. Are you using any CO2 or liquid carbon in it? Also forgot what lighting your using in it.

 

[dwayne.aycock]

I even found a way to use the liquid iron. I pulled it up in a basting syringe and slowly injected it under the substrate of my root feeders like swords. It did not stain the water and you can't even smell it. Since I am using a clay based (loam) it bonds quickly to the iron, and I am seeing a BIG difference in the swords. In my plant nursery, I am using pressurized CO2, but I have to admit the lighting sucks. I will be changing out the lighting over the next 2 weeks, so for right now, I am using aquarium lighting that is probably not the best for plants (wrong spectrum).
D

 

[Blos85]

I solved the problem quite easily. I used laterite, loam and clay. I mixed at a ratio of 2 pounds of laterite, 4 pounds of loam and 8 pounds of clay. I mixed it in a home depot bucket to a rather loose consistency. After that I put the mixture in a simple garden sprayer and took off the nozzle tip. I pumped it a few times. I placed the nozzle under my current substrate and gave it a few squirts, especially under my plants. It took a little while but I managed to get the job done in about 2 hours. I had no mess and no fuss. My root feeders took off! My PH rose a little (6.5 to 7.0) but with a little Discus buffer, I had the PH back to 6.5 in about a week. My Anubias and Vals have even shown improvement. My Plant Nursery is not doing so good...my stem plants died and I lost one other, but the others are hanging in there. I know it will take a little time. My Ammonia has been really high, so I have had to reduce it a bit with a few water changes. I will send PIcs, but I am a bit embarassed right now. I know time will tell, so I am being patient.
D

That sounds like an amazing idea! I regret when putting in my dirt in my first tank i never added the clay....do you think that if i did the same method as you i could mix the red clay in a loose mixture also to inject it down into my soil????

 

[dwayne.aycock]

If I was able to get it to work, then you should. You just have to sift the clay really well, or particlis like gravel or plant matter may keep clogging your nozzle. If I had to do it all over again, I would go for a sprayer with a wider nozzle, or try to rig up a bigger one myself. You have to go slowly and not use too much pressure in the sprayer or you may get a "blow out", and make a mess in your tank. It is not the end of the world if it happens, just takes a little time for the water to clear again....usually over night. I also ordered some gelatine capsules (about 500 for about $6.00) which i got off Amazon.com. I filled them with laterite, phosphates, total and trace nutrients and placed them under my plants. There was no mess at all. The same thing can be done with Micro and Macro nutrients which Rivercats can school you on.
D

 

[jbueno]

Hi all, I have an established tank that has been up and running for the past year. Though the tank is doing fine, I think it is time for some soil improvement. My tank is a 135 gallon Discus / Amazon tank, heavily planted (Amazon Swords, Anubias, Crypts, Java fern, Jungle Vals, water onion, Wendenti Crypts etc). A sea of green. I want to add some color! The tank has 2 inches of Amazon soil, and aquasoil amazonia. I have ordered 24 pounds of floramax which I want to add to the current soil. Removing the Discus (21 of them) is out of the question as well as 30 or so Cardinal tetras, 8 Ottos, 3 corey cats and 1 pleco. I don't have anywhere to put them if I did. I have heard of freezing the floramax into cubes and pushing it under the current soil to thaw out. My caution with this method is the chilling of the water and the possible negative effect with such sensitive and expensive fish. I have also heard of getting a piece of PVC, 2 or more inches in diameter, 4 plus feet long and placing it vertically on the bottom of the tank (removing the substrate under it) and pouring the floramax down the PVC, allowing it to settle to the bottom, and covering it with the current substrate. There would be some cloudiness, but I intend to accomplish this over the course of several days. It would of course be allowed to gas off any ammonia as well as rinsed, and treated with ammonia neutralizer. Does anyone have any experience with adding soil to an already established tank? Which one of the two methods will work best?
D

Like dirt soil or rock substrate?
I changed my sand to eco complete over a course of a month. I do water changes every week 25% so when I syphened the water out I took the sand with it... if ur talking about just adding more rinse the rock and slowly add it mixing it in where u can. I did that to my 20 gallon and took all my plants out and mixed it all in good did a large water change added ammonia reducer because of all the kicked up poop and extras then replanted my tank.
If ur talking about actual potting soil you can soak it in a 5 gallon bucket and slowly very slowly add water mixing the soil all up with the water getting all the lil floating particles out of the bucket when you over flow it with water then cake the soil up in lil balls and add it threw out ur tank like ur planting a carpet. I leave my fish in my tanks did complete renewed aquesapes and had no problem but its all on u and how much time and energy u wanna put into it...

 

[jbueno]

Also most people here call me crazy for doing what ive done but o well idc it work and didnt loose anyone. move slow and turn the pumps off to reduced the cloudiness because with water moving will kick up more than if it wasnt. Dont start working on the substrate until ur plants stop moving that way u no u have no current. I also use an electronic vacuum through the process to pick up bigger things I may kick up while moving stuff arround. I also vacuum before I do anything so that will be less to worry about floating arround.